


What about us?

by Adara_Rose



Category: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Car Accidents, M/M, Post-Break Up, Romance, Spring/Fall romance, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-20 05:27:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16130570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adara_Rose/pseuds/Adara_Rose
Summary: Jefferson's been in an accident and seems to have no memory of the last six months.Shelly is torn; does he play along - or tell the young pilot that they're over?





	What about us?

It was one of those evenings that can’t decide what weather to have. One moment the sky was dark grey, the next it was blue, and then back to “about to pour buckets”. Professor Oberon (archaeology, PHD) stared unhappily down at his untouched dinner, which had come from a packet. It wasn’t what he had, until a few months ago, been used to. But then, up until a few months ago everything had been beautiful. Now it wasn’t. And he had caused it, by letting his insecurities and concern about what others might think get in the way of the one thing that truly mattered. And now the one person in his life that he had let himself love, was gone. There wasn’t a trace of him in the house, but his absence was felt everywhere.

 

Sighing deeply, Shelly went and threw his unappetizing meal into the trash bin and readied himself for another early, lonely night.

That was when the phone rang. It came as a complete surprise, as no one really had any reason to call him outside of office hours. Well… except for  _ him.  _ For a wild moment, he even thought it might be Jefferson calling, but why would he? It wasn’t he who had ended things. He’d been the one crying, pleading to know what he’d done wrong, pressing a small velvet box into Shelly’s hand. He’d managed a “please… please keep this anyway” before breaking down and pleading with Shelly to think of him sometime. Shelly still had the box, unopened, in his bedside drawer. He couldn’t bear to look at it, but couldn’t bear to put it away either. It represented too much. A reminder that once, someone had loved him. Before he ruined everything.

 

The phone rang again, more insistent this time, and it was with great reluctance Shelly went to answer it. The voice on the other end was a woman’s and it took a moment before he realized who it was.

“Oh, hello Ruby” he said, even though her name was like glass shards in his throat. He hadn’t spoken to her in months, but then why should he? She was Jefferson’s best friend, not his.

“Shelly? Oh, finally. I’ve been trying to call-” she broke of, made a noise of frustration, and went on. “Look, I know you’ve broken up, hell knows why, but-” there were odd noises in the background, and her voice sounded tinny and broken like she was on the verge of tears.

“What is it?” Shelly asked. He couldn’t stand seeing - or hearing - anyone cry.

“Jeff’s been in an accident” she finally managed, a sob breaking through. “He… I thought… I thought you’d might want to be here.”

Shelly’s world spun to a stop. Jefferson had been in an accident. His brilliant, brave Seaplane - except he wasn’t his anymore - had been hurt.

He was out the door before he’d hung up.

 

\---

 

The hospital was a dismal place, but then again Shelly had always thought they were. He found the correct ward easily enough; it wasn’t the first time he picked his young lover up after some sort of incident. Being a pilot focusing mostly on helicopters and sky-diving trips had its consequences. When asking about where he could find Jefferson McDonough, he was met with friendly smiles, “hello”’s, and “just through there”s. 

It hurt in some strange, exquisite way.

 

The first look he got on the man that still owned most of what was left of his soul took his breath away. Jefferson was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, his face battered and bruised, his arm in a sling. A thick white bandage wrapped around his head covered most of his dark hair. He was impossibly beautiful, and Shelly wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around him and protect him from any and all dangers in the world. But he wasn’t allowed to do that anymore. 

In a chair close to the bed sat a red-haired woman looking like she had been in the accident too, or at least been a front row witness, her eyes red-rimmed from crying.

“Hello” Shelly said softly and Ruby looked up, rubbing at her eyes.

“Oh, good. You’re here.” she said, her voice rough, and at that Jefferson finally looked up from his hands. His eyes searched the room, and when they fell on Shelly they lit up.

“Shelly!” He cried in delight, “Hey babe, come to take me home?”

Shelly and Ruby exchanged panicked glances. What the hell was going on here?

 

Ruby looked carefully at her friend.

“Jeff, what’s the last thing you remember?” she asked gently.

Jefferson gave her a confused look. 

"Uuuhhh.... you and me looking at wedding rings? Remember? I wanted it to be a surprise and-" he stopped mid-sentence, looking at Shelly with wide eyes.

"I just ruined the surprise. Sorry babe." he gave a wry smile that made Shelly’s heart skip a beat, the traitor.

“It’s okay” he managed, his tongue feeling too big in his mouth. 

“Jeff…” Ruby still sounded kind, gentle, not hinting at her confusion and worry. “that was six months ago.”

Shelly looked away briefly, feeling more and more uncomfortable. But he couldn’t keep his gaze away. The young pilot looked at them both in bewilderment, then shook his head.

"Look, this isn't funny.” he protested,“My head hurts and I broke my arm and you're telling me I've been out of it for six months?"

"No" Ruby replied, wondering if she ought to move from the chair to sit next to him or something, "we're saying that we think you have amnesia and have forgotten them."

Jefferson's confusion turned to horror.

"I forgot our wedding?" He squeaked, turning wide, pleading eyes at Shelly. "I'm so sorry babe, I'm so sorry!"

Shelly and Ruby looked at each other again, panic increasing. What were they going to do? 

"I'll... go get the doctor." Ruby said hurriedly and fled from the room, the coward, leaving Shelly to look everywhere but at his ex-lover.

 

“What’s wrong, babe?” Jefferson sounded sad. “You won’t look at me. Did we have a fight? Did I do something? I’m sorry, I really am.”

Shelly flinched. He couldn’t bear to let Jefferson go on thinking it was his fault, when he had done nothing wrong. He had always been so good to him, so much more than he deserved. 

“It’s not you” Shelly said quietly, “it’s me.”

Jefferson laughed softly.

“Is it your insecurity acting up again? I thought we’d been over this, I love you babe. No one else has any idea about us.”

Shelly looked back just as Jefferson tried to stand up. The young man wobbled precariously, and Shelly dove forward as fast as he could to grab hold of his uninjured arm, offering silent support. He helped him sit down again, finding himself sitting next to him. He had no idea how that had happened, but the warmth of Jefferson’s body warmed something inside that he didn’t know had gone cold.

 

“I love you, you know that right?” Jefferson insisted, and Shelly felt tears prickle in his eyes. He hesitated, wanting nothing more than to get the hell away from those eyes that looked at him like he hung the moon. He felt awful, remembering the day the light went out in those eyes and the terrible knowledge that he had been the one to snuff it out.

But he didn't know what to say, so he said nothing, instead letting Jefferson rest his head on his shoulder and clutch at his hand as if it was a lifeline.

It felt good, too good, to hold him again, and Shelly put a hesitant arm around his shoulders.

It hurt to hear Jefferson make a little noise of contentment, pressing closer. 

 

"Can we go home?" the younger man pleaded, "I'm so tired and I have a headache."

Shelly hesitated. If they went back to his house, Jefferson would wonder why his things weren't there. He didn't remember having moved his stuff out while Shelly was at work, there one day and gone the next, like a ghost having been vanquished. He wouldn't see that his absence was in every nook and cranny, felt everywhere.

Shelly trembled as a soft, sweet kiss was pressed to his shoulder, but instinctively turned his head to press a response to the bandages covering Jefferson's forehead. It was a little ritual that they'd had since Jefferson had put his head on his shoulder that first time, almost two years ago. God, had it been two years already?

  
  


They sat quietly for a few moments, Shelly's heart aching so much he thought it must be breaking. As if it hadn't broken over and over again for the past few months, every time he woke to a cold bed, every night he ate his dinner alone, every time the sun shone just so. Like the way it had shone the first time Jeff kissed him.

He couldn't even watch TV, because all he could think about was how Jefferson always fell asleep within five minutes, sleeping on his arm until it went numb, drooling on his shoulder.

 

"Can we go home?" Jefferson pleaded again, squeezing his hand. Shelly still hesitated, and clearly he could feel it. Perhaps it was that bond Jefferson used to joke about them having.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, his voice worried but reassuring.

Shelly moved back slightly, aching at the unhappy frown covering a face that was so bruised he looked like he'd bathed in purple.

"I..." Shelly began, not knowing what to say. But then he looked into those beautiful eyes, and saw something there that stopped him cold.

 

There was no confusion there, no bewilderment, or any of the things that he'd expected there to be in someone who'd just lost six months of memories. All he saw was pain, and a quiet plea for him to play along.

"There's no amnesia, is there?" He asked, hurting for them both. He kept his voice gentle.

Jefferson turned his battered face away, unable to keep looking at him.

"No." his voice was barely audible.

"I just hoped that maybe... maybe if you thought so." his voice broke, like it had done on the day when- when- when everything beautiful shattered.

"I thought maybe you'd pretend, too, and I'd get to have you back. Just for a little while."

"Jeff-" Shelly began, wanting both to comfort and lecture, not knowing which urge was the strongest.

"I'm sorry" was the whispered reply, "I just... I just wanted you to love me again, even if it wasn't for real."

 

**Author's Note:**

> whoops I just broke my own heart...


End file.
